


Sixteen

by Queen_Kit



Series: Twinnish [5]
Category: Re-Entry Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: AU of an AU, Alternate Universe, GFY, Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-03 01:20:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6590896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_Kit/pseuds/Queen_Kit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When they meet for the first time, they are fighting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Re-Entry Official Timeline](https://archiveofourown.org/works/913029) by [flamethrower](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamethrower/pseuds/flamethrower). 



> I tend to use Flamethrower's Re-Entry as my source of "canon". This means I do borrow characters that are original to that massive fic universe. It's also why I am putting this story down now as "Re-Entry Fandom" as well as "Star Wars"

The mission to Ohun Ini was meant to be peaceful.  At a time when it was impossible to finagle a rotation off of the duty roster, it was a light mission that would hopefully allow Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan a chance to recover.  Their last five missions had been filled with savage fighting and an entirely too frequent need to run for their lives. Compared to that; rebuilding a city devastated by an earthquake sounded positively heavenly.

Qui-Gon studied the mission briefing again as he sat in the star cruiser’s main lounge.

Ohun Ini was a peaceful planet that relied on tourism to its capital city to support its population.  Nearly ninety percent of the planet was covered by a forest, known to the people as Iya Rẹ.  The forest was considered sacred to the native as it had re-grown over the ruins of Akọkọ-Ile;   the stone cities of the planet’s previous civilization from which the current natives were descended.  The rebirth of the forest was a blessing for the rebirth of their people after they had nearly destroyed their planet in their quest for progress.

As such there was only one area of the planet that had been allowed to clear back the forest and modernize.  The shining capital of the planet and haven for tourists, Irin-Ilu.

Irin-Ilu was, or rather had been, a beautiful modern metropolis full of space-scrapers nearly all of which offered tremendous views of the forest.  Some might have thought that modern architecture would have taken away from the beauty of the nature around it, but instead it had enhanced it.  Delicate looking buildings of curving durasteel and large panes of reflective transparisteel windows had incorporated natural lines and brought a sense of green into the city.  And all of it built to be eco-friendly as well.

Now it was only so much rubble.  Irin-Ilu had been hit by a devastating earthquake in the middle of the night.  It was how the numerous citizens and tourists has discovered that, for all their architectureal beauty and charm, the space-scrapers had been built upon sub-par foundations.  The builders had taken a short cut in the one place they thought no one would discover.

After all it cost quite a lot of money to create such delicate looking creations and Ohun Ini was not one of the wealthiest planets of the republic.  The builders wanted to keep the costs as low as possible to get the job and they had found a way.

It was unclear at this time just how many had died because of it.  The worst of it was that in the end it was going to cost the government of Ohun Ini even more to rebuild the city and compensate the families that had lost loved ones.

Jedi were been sent to offer what aid they could, partly in hopes of keeping the costs of recovery and rebuilding lower than if the residents were to carry the burden on their own.

Qui-Gon sighed.  He and Obi-Wan were only one of the many Master-Padawan teams that were being sent to Ohun Ini along with the Jedi Healers.  In point of fact the ship on which they traveled housed now only themselves, but also Jale Terza and her padawan, Terza having calmly debated her way into a rotation off of Coruscant to help a planet that was more in need of her talents than the temple at the current moment.

At the current moment he was sure that his padawan was spending some time with Abella.  The Chitanook girl had been a cresh-mate of his, one of the few with whom Obi-Wan had become friendly.  It would be good for the teenager to have this downtime before they were at work again.

When they landed on the planet it was likely to be long hours spent escorting citizens and tourists alike to the larger cruisers that were coming with them.  It would solve the lack of space on the planet’s surface for survivors, but it would take time…

He sighed again.  It would not be easy work rebuilding the city, but it wouldn’t be running from death either.

-

Of course it didn’t really turn out that way.  It never really did for them.  It seemed that they just attracted trouble no matter where they went.

This time they were three days into their relief-mission when trouble found them. It came in the form of a young woman with copper colored hair and changeable blue green eyes.

Qui-Gon knew all he needed to know when she pulled out her weapons, the blades marked with the symbol of the Genetic-Hunters.  The Jedi may not have shown it to the world, but they were not blind to the fact that the Hunters had been seeking Obi-Wan Kenobi for years.

“Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon called as he ignited his light saber, “Run!”

He darted forward prepared to disarm or even eliminate the threat to his padawan.

“NO!”

Obi-Wan’s shout startled Qui Gon, but that was not what halted his initial strike.  It was the unexpected twist of the force as Obi-Wan reached out unthinkingly and pulled him back.

“Padawan!” He couldn’t even begin to fathom what the boy was thinking.  Even Obi-Wan should be aware enough of what it would mean for someone like that to be _here_.

There was no time for a lecture, right then as the girl leapt forward.  As she attacked she seemed to be doing her best to separate them.  Qui-Gon pressed every advantage his greater height and body mass could give him as he sensed his padawan’s resistance to giving this fight everything he had.  It wouldn’t be enough.

He cursed as his light saber shorted out, Cortosis Sabers.  He couldn’t imagine how someone so _young_ had gotten hold of a pair.  They were rare weapons even among the Genetic-Hunters and he sincerely doubted that they would have willingly handed over a pair to any apprentice.

She cried out as he managed to lunge forward and wrench the blades from her hands.  The move was not without consequence however.  The girl struck back at him and he stumbled backwards. There was no time to catch himself as he fell off the rocky edge of the ruined building they had been exploring when she had found them.

The last thing he heard before the world went dark was Obi-Wan’s cry.

It was up to his Padawan now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The roads fear leads us down

Obi-Wan was struggling.  The blows exchanged were harsh, blue striking against painfully familiar green.  When the fighting had begun it was Qui-Gon’s hands that had held that blade aloft, but now it was Jinn-Kai’s fingers wrapped around a hilt that was too large for her hands.

It was obvious that she had never held a weapon quite like this before, and yet it was still a struggle to stand against her.  A part of that, he mused, was his own fault.  He _had_ shared his training with her in a way, but that was not the only reason.  She was fast.  She must have put herself through a lot more weapons training than he had realized.

It worried him, although he really shouldn’t try to dwell on it in the middle of the fight!

He hurriedly jumped back, her swing just missing him.  He wasn’t really sure that he could win this fight.  She kept throwing in elements that he could not predict from his spars with his master.

His master.  His blade faltered mid-parry.

Qui-Gon Jinn had already fallen.  His blade had been taken and Obi-Wan could only pray to the force that he was alright…

In the next moment he found himself disarmed.  His falter had been a near fatal error.  He should never have allowed his mind to stray so far from the battle. Now his blade was in Jinn-Kai’s other hand and she used a swift swipe with the force to knock his feet out from under him.

He hit the ground hard, the air leaving his lungs in a woosh even as stars exploded in front of his eyes, his head making contact with one of the many tree roots in the area.  (He would be glad later that it was a tree and not one of the many stones that made up the ruins of the old city.)  There were two light sabers at his throat, but she made no motion to go in for the kill.

For a moment it was as if time had stopped as she stood, motionless over him.  They were both sweaty, panting from exertion, and covered in dirt from far too many falls as they chased through the forest and ruins.  Then Obi-Wan spoke, and the moment was shattered.

“Why?”

He knew she knew who he was.  They were bonded in a way that shouldn’t be possible.  While they had never seen each other before he had known her presence instantly.  After two years of near constant contact they each knew the other’s presence just as intimately as they knew their own.

“I have too.” Her voice wavered, but the blades never did.  “You wouldn’t understand.”

His eyes never left hers and he was stunned by what he saw there.  There was no hate, no anger, no desire to cause pain… There was only fear.  He could sense it coming off of her in waves nearly drowning them both.  He couldn’t believe she would hide this from _him_.

“You could never understand.”  The blades still didn’t move but her eyes seemed distant now, as if she were looking at something else.  There was a deep sadness, pain… “You are wanted.  You have always been wanted.  You’ve never looked around you and realized that no matter what you do, how well you do, you will never be wanted.”  Her voice broke on that last word.

Obi-Wan knew that he could have told her right then and there that she was wrong.  He knew that pain intimately, but this was not the time.  Whatever had driven her to this had been building for a long time and she needed to say this.  She needed to stop hiding this.

While he might have preferred that it was done sooner – and without blades at his throat - he would let her speak them now.

“You’ve never had to worry about losing everything.”

He almost had.

“You’ve never known that everyone around you would be more willing to see you dead, everything you are _destroyed_ than to work with you.”

Oh… Oh _force_.

“I saw them… I saw the papers.  I have to do this. I have to take you there.”  Her voice was ratcheting to a higher pitch, her breath coming more quickly.  He was surprised she could keep her hands as steady as they were when she was obviously starting to panic. “I have to show I’m _worth_ something. I-”

Her words were cut off abruptly as she crumpled to the ground, Qui-Gon stepping out from the trees behind her with a frown on his face.  There was a wound on his head that was bleeding sluggishly, but his eyes were clear and focused.   There was no telling what he planned to do.

‘ _I don’t want to die_.’

“Don’t hurt her!” Obi-Wan was just as startled as Qui-Gon looked when the words spilled from his lips.

_Desperation, guilt, fear_

 “She needs our help.”

“Obi-Wan…”

He ignored his masters concern as he moved to stand.  He was a little unsteady on his feet, but it was not so bad that he could not retrieve their now inactive light sabers from Jinn-Kai’s now slack grip.

“She needs our _help_ , Master.”  He repeated firmly.  “Not a prison, not… not more to be afraid of.”

He realized that the ground was tilting sharply only moments before his vision went dark.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qui-Gon Jinn is going to have words with his Padawan.

As glad as he was to be out of the healer’s care, Obi-Wan wasn’t looking forward to the confrontation he knew was coming.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on here, _padawan_?”

It only took that one word for Obi-Wan to understand how irritated Qui-Gon was by the events that had just occurred.  After all he had just insisted that his master put the young woman who had just attacked them into regular ship quarters rather than under guard in the ship’s small brig.  It wasn’t standard Jedi procedure by any measure, and while his master was usually all for flaunting the rules, this was one situation where he typically would have followed them to the letter.

“Master it’s _her_.”

“Are you certain?  She just tried to kill you and me both.” Qui-Gon’s expression was fixed in a deep frown, his eyes stormy.

Obi-wan winced.  His master really was angry.  But…

“Master I am as certain of that as I am of my own name.”  Despite his own fluttering nerves Obi-Wan kept his own voice calm.  “That young woman is Jinn-Kai.  And,” He took a deep breath knowing Qui-Gon was unlikely to agree with his next words, “I don’t believe she was trying to kill us at all.”

Qui-Gon crossed his arms.  “Explain.”

His master was doing that thing where he was being a stubborn bastard again.  Although he supposed he should be flattered.  Qui-Gon Jinn did not display this kind of emotion unless someone he truly cared about was in harm’s way.  It went to show how much his master cared for him, even if he was angry enough that he wasn’t willing to use his given name.

“Master, if Jinn-Kai had any desire to kill you she had more than enough opportunity to do so when she took your light saber.” Obi-Wan crossed his arms, staring back at his master with just as much stubborn determination.

“Instead she knocked you out and left you there.  I’ll admit it was not precisely a safe place to leave you and head wounds can be tricky things,” he added, waving off his master’s retort before it could even be given voice, “but at that time we were still relatively close to civilization and Master Terza.  _And_ it so happens that some minor bruising and your head wound are the only wounds you suffered at all.”

He could see that Qui-Gon was wavering. However his master had one last retort.

“And yourself?”  He raised his eyebrow as if her were daring Obi-Wan to contradict him on that one.  They both knew that if he was captured Obi-Wan Kenobi would have ceased to exist.

“Master, honestly I don’t believe she had even though it through as far as that.  Her only intent was to _capture_.” He really, _really_ , needed his master to understand this. “Master, _Qui-Gon_ , I believe that her life was in danger.  She was taking the only course of action she thought might save herself. You heard some of what she was saying yourself.”

And with that it was as if a switch had been flipped.  Obi-Wan’s posture changed as sadness and guilt crept into his consciousness replacing the determined fire that came with his earlier statements.  His eyes dropped to the floor.  He should have known.  He should have _sensed_ something.

 “She was _afraid_.”  She had come after him because she thought that unless she could catch him that she would die.  He knew what that sort of fear was like, how it felt.  How desperation could drive you to do things without thinking them through as well as you should.

“Yes, she was.” He felt more than saw the change come over his master.  It seemed that perhaps Qui-Gon would give her a chance.   “You should go to her, Obi-Wan.  She will be awake soon.”

“Yes Master.”  Obi-Wan replied, a quirk to his lips turning the phrase from one of obeisance to something more teasing.  He just had to hope now he was doing the right thing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinn-Kai is awake

Jinn-Kai wasn’t certain what she had expected.  She certainly _hadn’t_ expected to wake up wake up on an unfamiliar ship.  Not after attacking a grown Jedi and his Padawan. Not after failing in her last chance to prove herself.

She had known her failure with certainty just as darkness had descended.  If that had been the case well, she wouldn’t be worrying about it now.  She wouldn’t know that there had ever been anything to worry about.  Or she would be dead.

Really she shouldn’t be complaining.  Some might think she should even be happy.  She was herself, she was _alive_.

Which was all of the reason she needed to feel completely awful.

Jinn-Kai curled up as tightly as she could on the bunk as she started to cry.  She had attacked him.  She had attacked her _brother_.  He was the only person who had ever cared about her.  He probably wouldn’t be foolish enough to do that anymore.

She had nearly sentenced him to the same fate she was running from.

Oh _force_. She felt ill at the very thought now.  She had been so consumed by her desire to save herself that she hadn’t even thought about that.  She hadn’t even considered that she would have been killing him.

If she couldn’t handle it now, when it hadn’t even happened; she certainly wouldn’t have been able to handle it if it _had_.  She would never be as hard as she needed to be.  She had been fooling herself.  She couldn’t do it.

He must hate her now and it was all for nothing.

There was a soft knock on the door and she cringed, knowing with a dreadful certainty exactly who must be on the other side.  She wiped her eyes and sat up, trying for some unfathomable reason to look presentable.

“Come in.”  Despite her invitation, Jinn-Kai didn’t look up as he entered.

There was the sound of footsteps on the floor approaching and then the bunk shifted slightly.  He was sitting next to her, nearly close enough to touch. She kept her eyes fixed to the floor.

“Ah, hello.”  He sounded awkward.  She didn’t think she had ever heard his voice this uncertain before.  Why..?

“Hello.”  She whispered to the floor.  At least she hadn’t entirely forgotten how to be polite.

He sighed. “Jinn-Kai…  Please,” she shifted, “Please just look at me.”

After everything she had done, she should at least do that much for him.

Jinn-Kai looked up and really _looked_ at Obi-Wan.  She looked at her brother for the first time.  Steady blue-grey eyes looked back at her without a trace of anger.  There was even, bafflingly, a faint smile on his face as she finally looked up from the floor.

“That wasn’t so hard.”

She was startled to realize she was giving him a wobbly smile of her own in return.

“You aren’t angry?”  It was beyond bizarre.  After all that she had done that was the one feeling she thought she warranted, but it was one that she could not find in him.  There was concern, there was sadness, there was even perhaps a faint trace of guilt, but there was no anger in him.

His eyes were conflicted and it seemed that he chose his words with care as he replied.  “I’m not exactly _happy_ about it but,” he shrugged, “You were afraid.”

She couldn’t even formulate a reply; only stare at him in response.  He wasn’t mad because she had been _afraid?_

“You should have told me you were in trouble.”He put an arm around her and she leaned into his side.  It felt as natural as if they had always been near.  “I would have come for you.

“I know what it’s like to feel that way; to feel afraid and unwanted.  I would _never_ have left you in a place like that if I had known and neither would Master Qui-Gon.  We may be Jedi but we have both been the outcast.”

“How?”  It was impossible.  It was contrary to everything that she had ever been taught.  The Jedi would not care for anyone like her.  They would see a Genetic-Hunter and they would kill.  She had seen it herself hadn’t she?  How he had lunged for her as soon as he had seen her.

Then again she supposed it might have been the swords.  She had brought that on herself hadn’t she?

“Master Qui-Gon and I aren’t exactly the most by the book Jedi around.”  She could feel the warmth as he spoke about it.  How he seemed _happy_ to be what they didn’t want him to be.  “We drive the council up a wall, but they’re flexible enough to let us be because we get the work done.”

A point in their favor considering them against the Genetic-Hunters.

“And I don’t think they’ll have much choice but to let us bend the rules again now.   You are wanted here, sister.  I’m not about to leave you alone again.”

She couldn’t help the tears that started falling as she suddenly hugged him tightly.  _Wanted_.  She was _wanted_ here.

There was a chuckle from the open doorway.

“And you said _I_ was bad about taking in strays, padawan.”  Qui-Gon’s voice was full of more warmth than Jinn-Kai could recall hearing at any point in her life.  She wanted to stay here.  She wanted…

Obi-Wan groaned.  “ _Master_.”

And with that she laughed. A shaky, hiccupy, thing – but a laugh.

There was a twinkle in Qui-Gon’s eyes as she finally released Obi-Wan enough to look over in his direction, and the smile on his face matched the warmth of his voice.  He chuckled a little himself.

“Obi-Wan is quite correct in his assertion, young lady.”  He replied with a gentle seriousness. “You are wanted here.  You will always have a place with us, Miss Jinn-Kai.”

“Miss Kenobi.”  Obi-Wan corrected.  “She’s a Kenobi, as much as I am master.”

Qui-Gon inclined his head in a nod.  It seemed that there was something that passed between the two of them then, but she didn’t know what it was.

“Miss Kenobi.”  Qui-Gon rumbled quietly.

She started crying again and could only hope she didn’t startle them.  There was no way that they could understand the gift that she had just been given.

There was pain and there was joy.

And maybe this is what it felt like to have a family.

**Author's Note:**

> All the locations use names that I got from Google Translate using Yoruba. I mean no disrespect by it, I was looking for words that felt right to use because I am not good at coming up with original names for new places.


End file.
